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This is the archived version of the Milk Street website and is no longer up to date.

Please visit 177milkstreet.com to see the current website with all of the latest recipes!

Brazilian-Style Chocolate-Glazed Carrot Cake

12 to 14 Servings

1½ hours 30 minutes active, plus cooling

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The Brazilian baked sweet bolo de cenoura—which translates from the Portuguese as, simply, “carrot cake”—is a homey, nearly failsafe dessert that finishes a brilliantly hued orange cake with a glossy chocolate glaze. To make the batter, raw carrots, sugar, oil and eggs are blitzed in a blender, then whisked into dry ingredients. We swapped in coconut cream for some of the oil to give the crumb rich, tropical notes and added orange zest to brighten the flavor. It’s best to measure the carrots by weight; too much makes the cake heavy and dense. The classic glaze is similar to the Brazilian chocolate truffle confections called brigadeiros, but we opted for an easier mixture of chocolate thinned with orange juice. Though we usually prefer bittersweet chocolate, the milder flavor of semisweet is better here. Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to three days.

12 to 14

Servings

Tip

Don’t use regular nonstick cooking spray instead of baking spray, as the cake has a tendency to stick. If you don’t have baking spray, mix 2 tablespoons flour and 1½ tablespoons oil to form a thin paste, then use a pastry brush or paper towel to coat the entire inside of the pan. Be sure to use coconut cream, not cream of coconut or coconut milk. And don’t skip straining any pulp out of the orange juice.

1½ hours

30 minutes active, plus cooling

For the cake:

  • 260

    grams (2 cups) all-purpose flour

Directions

Reviews
Anne K.
April 21, 2026
Questions . . .
Two questions before I even attempt this. ONE: Can I substitute a cake pan or pie plate for the bundt pan? (I don't have the room to store one. ) TWO: My rule with sweets is to cut the sugar up to 50%. What adjustments would I have to make? Review is based on appearance and reading the recipe. I know I would love this!
Jennifer S.
October 2, 2025
Elegant and delicious cake
I baked this for a friend’s birthday dinner and everyone loved it. I had to bake it in two loaf pans since I don’t have a Bundt, but it just looked that much more elegant when sliced with pomegranate seeds on top. I wondered if the orange flavor would dominate but it’s perfectly balanced, especially with the touch of dark chocolate ganache on top. You don’t really taste the carrot but it gives the most beautiful color. I’ll certainly make this again, and it would be a good festive cake for the holidays.
Geselle T.
May 6, 2025
Short-lived
This cake was a big hit with my family. It lasted only 3-days in our small household. There weren’t even crumbs left. I used your directions in the metric system so everything worked out well. However, is it possible that your amount in cups of sugar is incorrect?
Rachel D.
April 24, 2025
Great interesting cake
Great recipe that’s dairy free. Nothing like traditional American carrot cake, more like and orange chocolate cake. I added flaked sea salt to the top of the chocolate glaze which took it up a notch
Kimi K.
February 4, 2025
Delish
Tastes like a moist cake version of a Pepperidge farm Milano orange cookie! Everyone loved this! Will be in regular cake rotation. I even cut down the. Sugar to 1 cup and it was fine. Thanks for a great recipe!

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